Frugal Raw?

[erialicia]

I am officially starting tomorrow in hopes of releasing 85 pounds. I have to do this frugally however so Costco will be my main source of produce....
So what I can reasonably purchase will be spinach, bananas, apples, frozen berries, lettuce, carrots, avocados...basicall that is it for my raw food budget for now....Can I simply survive on green smoothies, and salads? I don't eat nuts because they are a binge food for me....Is this okay?

[jurence]

Apples bananas and random fruit-> what i live on.

Some spinach in there sometimes, coconut in there sometimes

a little of this, a little of that

[MelissaO]

I love Costco - their baby spinach tubs hold up very well in the fridge. I pretty much stared out the way you did.

I also find pretty good deals at places like Asian markets or International markets for produce if you like to switch it up and still stay good with the budget (things like kale, young coconuts, dill, parsely etc )


Looks like you gotta a fine plan:)

[Aleesha Sattva]

watch the prices... cause often costco is more expensive than my local market! :)

[RawKnitster]

How about seeds? They can be inexpensive. Especially sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds. You can't binge on the last two and they are good in smoothies.

[ltcartwright]

You can take a look at Mattye Lee's eBook "Frugal Raw". She has some awesome ideas on keeping it low-cost and still being able to maintain Raw lifestyle. Also, two tips I heard recently is to eat only when hungry and fill-up on green smoothies (which keep you full for hours if the right ingredients are added). Plus, mono-meals can be inexpensive (albeit, unsustainable for long periods).

[Ilse W.]

I think you'll do just fine with Costco. The best way to give up the pounds is to live on fruits and salads, smoothies and water!

[Bananna]

I would pick up some nori sheets and tamari sauce perhaps...nori sheets are really nutritious, break the monotony and tamari is like soy sauce...that's just me though.

I agree, watch the costco prices.

Bananas are dirt cheap, grapes -not so much.

Sprouts are something I am getting into, because they are tasty greens and cheap and easy to do. They don't go bad like my big boxes of greens tend to do if I don't eat them right away...although spinach is the best for not doing that.

You can freeze greens though, and bananas for smoothies too. Costco does have big bags of frozen fruit, which may seem expensive untill you factor in that they don't rot, so there is no waste.

um....all the usual, watch for sales, compare prices, etc.

Good luck! I'm frooting for you :P

[michigan roman]

heres an old thread with excellent ideas on the topic =

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=22555&highlight=budget ..

[juliebove]

watch the prices... cause often costco is more expensive than my local market! :)


I have found that to be true on some things like trash bags, Windex and dish soap, but not on produce. Always much cheaper for the produce. But I have had fruit fly problems from their bananas. And some of the baby carrots go slimy.

[erialicia]

Thanks so much for the encouragement and ideas!

One question....
Regarding the nori sheets. I have an excellent asian market within walking distance and thier fruit/vegies are dirt cheap! Also they sell the nori sheets....
Which kind am I looking for? Does it matter???

[rawstrength]

Look for untoasted nori. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables is a good brand.

[HolyGuacamole]

First of all, you can do this. Go, you! :D

Second, the way you want to do it sounds just fine!
That is a nice array of foods you listed, and should cover most of your nutritional bases.
I agree that you should throw some seeds in there and nori would be a terrific addition for its amazing mineral content and general deliciousness.

Gosh, living for a while on green smoothies and salads while munching on the occasional carrot stick actually sounds really, really nice. :)

[Moretta]

It sounds like you are on the right track. I eat simple 90% of the time and still release weight.

Good luck to you.

[jacsam]

Costco has really nice medjool dates.